Benzoyl Peroxide is quite common in treating acne and it is incorporated in various lotions, creams and other over the counter acne treatment products.

I’ve seen a lot of questions about whether benzoyl peroxide is actually effective in curing acne, and how is it best to be used, taking into account that there are various %-es that is added to acne products.

The best results you will get with benzoyl peroxide is when treating mild cases of acne. This is for a couple of reasons.

First, the higher the concentration of BP, the more irritating it can be to the skin. Some people are really allergic to the stuf.
Second, you can only find over the counter, without having to get a prescription up to 10% concentration.
Third, the higher concentration tends to dry out your skin. A 2.5% usage is the safest for the skin
Last, but not least, BP is a bleach. Avoid touching your hair with the stuff. Also avoid contact with your clothing, or towels, etc. Obviously, the stronger BP is, the stronger the bleach concentration.

Thus a small concentration (2.5%) of benzoyl peroxide is safe to use for all the above reasons, and this % is enough to clear mild acne quite safely and efficiently. It has been proved to yield good results. The higher % BP is used, the more complains you will find among the users.

All the research points to the fact that the safest concentration to use is 2.5%. This has the least side effects and is the most tolerated by the folks of all ages, geographical locations and genders.

Now you might wonder what products can you buy that contain that minimum % of BP, which is safe, yet powerful to use?

Well, maybe the best product that uses only 2.5% benzoyl peroxide is ProActiv. This is the one used by all the major celebrities, and it seems to work quite well. I have actually reviewed it on my ProActive review page.

However, if you want to completely avoid any problems with benzoyl peroxide, then you can use products that simply don’t contain it. The world doesn’t evolve around benzoyl peroxide, and acne CAN be treated without it as well, in natural ways. ClearPores is such a product, it is all natural and quoting the manufacturers, “it fights the acne bacteria from inside and out”. You can read my review of Clearpores, or go directly to the manufacturer site to read more about it.